LONDON {AP} Tickets for the first commercial flight of a British Airways Concorde since the supersonic fleet was grounded 15 months ago went on sale Tuesday and were selling quickly, the airline said.

British Airways said it sold half of the 100 tickets for its first fare-paying London-New York flight on Nov. 9 in the first two hours. The round-trip fare is $9,858.

Both British Airways and Air France have revamped their Concordes to address safety concerns following a July 25, 2000, Air France crash near Paris that killed 113 people and grounded both fleets.

The airlines announced Monday that the needle-nosed aircraft would return to the skies with promotional flights for media, corporate clients and guests on Nov. 7. Air France started selling Concorde tickets Monday.

The crash last year was the supersonic plane's first in 31 years of service. Investigators say a stray strip of metal on the runway punctured a tire, propelling bits of rubber into the fuel tank and starting a fire.

British Airways said tickets on its Concorde flights to Barbados around the holidays were also selling fast.